Injured manatee - and babies - return home

PALATKA, Florida -- Three manatees are on their way home after a boat strike badly damaged the mother.

The boat strike happened to a pregnant manatee in the St. Johns River in Palatka on May 14. Officials from several agencies worked together to get the 1,200-pound animal on a boat, then to Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo, home of a manatee hospital. Click here to read our original story.

"Della" suffered a collapsed lung after being hit and had trouble righting and submerging herself early in her treatment.

Four days later, though Della gave birth to "Pal," and has been able to successfully nurse the calf and recover from her own injuries.

Della also adopted another calf, "Kee," a 50-pound orphan from the Withlacoochee. Kee had a rough start, but the hospital was able to introduce her to Della and Pal, and the three bonded. Kee even sleeps on Della's back and the two display normal mother-calf behavior.

So now that the three manatees are healthy enough, it's back to Palatka to get back to normal manatee living.

A large crane will lift the animals onto a transport vehicle and they will head to the Pico Road Boat Ramp in East Palatka.

They were scheduled to arrive around 11 this morning, but the crane had a mechanical problem early this morning, so the manatees were delayed until after 4, but they made it.

If you see a manatee or another animal in distress, you can call the Wildlife Alert Help Line 1-888-404-3922.